Have you ever done a play or a musical? It's hard work! I've had the pleasure of performing in multiple plays and musicals through my life and I can say without a doubt some of my best memories are behind a curtain, but it was always a torturous process to get there. If you have ever done a play you know it is impossible without a good stage manager (the person who makes sure the stage is set after every scene and that actors are in their spots within a maximum 30-second window) and it can be ruined with a bad one too. A lot of people never see the stage manager, or even know who they are or what they do, but they are the most important person backstage and ensure a good outcome. Now I've played a lot of sports as well including track, cross country, tennis and soccer, all of which the entire team is seen and celebrated. A stage manager doesn't do their job for the publicity, they do it because they love their job even though it means almost no recognition.

My freshman year at Lander University I had the incredible pleasure of getting to know someone who usually works behind the scenes, and never asks for recognition. Her name is Katie Troutman and she works at our campus BCM Center. Katie was the first person I spoke to from Lander aside from the Admissions Office, and I received a text from her welcoming me to the BCM BBQ during the first week of school before classes start. In fact one of the first things the Campus Minister, Scott Smith, told me was that there was going to be a freshman Bible study every week that anyone was welcome to come to, I went because it seemed like a good way to meet people. When I got there it wasn't Scott that was leading it, it was Katie and she could have not done a better job! We all felt very welcome and after a few meetings Katie's kindness pulled us out of our comfort zones and I got to know some of my classmates better and form friendships I would not have done in my classes. As the year went on I began to hear stories of students going to the BCM Center to sit on the couch, cry and talk to the Campus Minster about life issues. The first time I failed an exam was the first time I had a breakdown at college and the first person I thought to talk to wasn't Scott (sorry Scott,) it was Katie. I remembered her talking about how hard her freshman year was at Lander and the advice she had for me literally (no joke) kept me from dropping out at the time (I'm obviously not a rational decision maker when I'm upset.) Katie was encouraging but she was also real, and these two things are very hard traits to juggle but somehow she does it perfectly! Most people that walk through the BCM doors may not leave knowing who Katie is because of how humble she is but rest assured that most of the things we do in that building are only possible because of Katie's tireless efforts and hard work. Her welcoming and gentle spirit helped me feel comfortable going on trips with other students and eventually helped me accept my failures with more grace than I had before (more than I was capable of on my own.)

Katie, just in case you haven't heard this in a while from students, Thank You. You are kind and gracious person, without you I would probably still be locking myself in a dorm room and not talking to anyone.